THE PORTABLE STAR

Episode #222 · Written by Isaac Asimov · Narrated by Scott Miller

Trapped on a lifeless planet, four travelers discover that something unseen is manipulating their every emotion. When the line between fear and madness vanishes, their only hope is to outthink the invisible minds that control them.

A second-hand space flivver, a shared holiday among friends, and one small malfunction—that’s all it takes to trap four travelers on Sigmaringen IV, a planet officially listed as “uninhabitable.” There’s no oxygen, no carbon, and supposedly no life. Yet something watches from the dust storms. Something that can reach inside their minds. At first it plays with their fears and desires like a cruel child prodding ants, forcing them to laugh, to fight, even to betray one another. Escape depends on one impossible idea: to terrify the beings that control terror itself.

The Portable Star showcases Isaac Asimov at his most psychological. Before Foundation and the Robot novels made him world-famous, Asimov explored moral tension and claustrophobic dread in his early magazine stories. Here, he replaces ray-gun adventure with inner warfare—logic versus manipulation, sanity versus unseen power. The climax, equal parts ingenuity and tragedy, burns itself into memory like the small blue flame that saves them.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

The Portable Star showcases Isaac Asimov at his most psychological. Before Foundation and the Robot novels made him world-famous, Asimov explored moral tension and claustrophobic dread in his early magazine stories. Here, he replaces ray-gun adventure with inner warfare—logic versus manipulation, sanity versus unseen power. The climax, equal parts ingenuity and tragedy, burns itself into memory like the small blue flame that saves them.

LISTEN TO THE STORY

Listen to The Portable Star by Isaac Asimov — a gripping vintage sci-fi tale of mind control, fear, and survival on a lifeless world that isn’t as empty as it seems.

RELATED STORIES

• Let’s Get Together by Isaac Asimov
• Day of the Hunters by Isaac Asimov 
• Christmas on Ganymede by Isaac Asimov
• Someday by Isaac Asimov
• The Pause by Isaac Asimov
• Living Space by Isaac Asimov
• S as in Zebatinsky by Isaac Asimov
• The Weapon by Isaac Asimov
• Jokester by Isaac Asimov
• Ring Around the Sun by Isaac Asimov
• The Magnificent Possession by Isaac Asimov 
• Misbegotten Missionary by Isaac Asimov, also known as Green Patches 
• Everest by Isaac Asimov
• Time Pussy by Isaac Asimov
• Starlight! by Isaac Asimov
• The Portable Star by Isaac Asimov

📬 JOIN LOST SCI-FI WEEKLY

25,000+ Listeners Can’t Be Wrong

Get vintage sci-fi stories, podcast episodes, and surprises every Monday.

FREE SCI-FI EVERY WEEK

✅ Check your email and confirm — that unlocks your free sci-fi downloads.

No spam in this galaxy. You can eject anytime.